Last week, I set out to write about how easy it’s been to quit smoking, and how easy a time both myself and The Girl have seemed to have of it.  I took a couple of days, like I always do, to turn the post over in my head a little bit, and to get my thoughts on the subject collected. And then I took a couple more days, like I always do, putting it off, because I didn’t have time to write.

 And then a funny thing happened. After having to stay past midnight at my office, and spending the night critically thinking much later than I’m normally used to, and filling my body with fatty foods, and sugary soda, I had a huge craving for a cigarette on my ride home. It was gone as quickly as it came, and of course I was fine, but it served as a reminder to me that for some people, and The Girl and I are included in this list, the battle with smoking is never really over.

 My last scheduled day of using the patch is Sunday, and after that she and I are on our own. For that reason, even though our fight with this will continue on, this will probably be my last post on the subject. Ironically, my one disappointment in writing this series of posts is that I haven’t had more of a difficult time. Aside from my first post on the topic, there hasn’t been anything of note to discuss. As appreciative as I am of the comments of support from friends and family, I really hoped to have more insight to share into the matter, with the hopes that someone else trying to quit smoking may be able to glean some bit of helpful advice from my experiences.

I suppose though, that such a catch-22 is inherent in the entire process. Someone who has just quit smoking for the first time probably doesn’t have enough insight into what made their effort successful, so as to help others, and someone who has quit smoking multiple times probably isn’t giving out the best advice. With that said, I consider this topic having run it’s course, for now.

 On to bigger and better things.

I realized last night that it has been almost a year since my last redesign of the site. Well, ok, nine months, but that’s a long time for me. I also realized that I have about a week until the first day of spring, and I haven’t come up with any spring skin for the site yet, either. Total redesign, or spring theme? What to do, what to do? Maybe both…

Update: Well, we fixed that little problem, now didn’t we? Believe it or not, this is just a spring theme, despite the fact that the site looks remarkably different. So, in summary, Version 8.0, No. Version 7.3, Yes. Spring has sprung indeed. Happy Easter!

It’s been quite a while, a little over four months, since I’ve added anything to my Surviving Work series. In the last installment of the series, I spoke about the Power of Simplicity, and how communicating in a clear, effective manner, both orally and in writing, can lead to better relationships with clients and peers. When these relationships can be developed into an attribute that you, and only you, as an individual hold with a client or peer, it is simply one example of the Power of Ownership at play.

I’m purposefully using the term ‘ownership’ here in an abstract way, to describe the process that an individual uses to take control of the tasks that they are asked to perform on a daily basis. For instance, in the example above, an individual could change the way that they communicate with clients in relation to their peers. That individual could be said to be creating ownership of that communication; of making it their own by using the method that works best for them. This change could result in positive or negative reaction by the client to the new method of communication. Either way, ownership has been acheived, but we’d obviously like to focus on those instances where the power of ownership over a process creates positive change in the work environment.

A perfect example of the power of ownership having a positive effect on working environment can be found in my office. Due to our small size, all levels of staff are forced to take on administrative tasks that would generally be performed by management level employees or higher. When these tasks were being initially discussed and assigned, one staff member expressed interest in heading up our recruiting efforts in the area. In the past year and a half, since we have let this staff person take on this additional job responsibility, with little to no guidance from management, our recruiting efforts have been organized, our relationships with area colleges and universities have grown, and our interview procedures have become standardized, and the number of qualified applicants that we have been able to interview has increased exponentially. This staff person has responded beautifully to the challenge put upon them, in large part because they were given not just the task, but the responsibility for its’ success, and the ability to structure it the way that they saw fit to do so.

How is this possible? Because the power of ownership is inherent in all of us, I think. We have an innate desire to be a part of a larger entity, and to feel a sense of belonging. We also want to know that what we’re doing, and not how we’re doing it, makes a difference. Taking ownership over a process in our own careers’ gives us that. Conversely, using ownership as a management tool to create positive changes in an entity’s culture promotes a more productive and independent staff. We can all promote the power of ownership in our work environment, by taking control of individual processes in our daily job tasks, or by letting go, and allowing staff, or peers, take ownership themselves.

Related Articles

SalesTrax - Helping Others Take Ownership

EzineArticles - Taking Ownership of Tasks

Note: Notice that the second article linked to takes a more conventional approach to assigning ownership of tasks, rather than letting employees take ownership themselves. Additionally, the criticism assumption of ownership about half-way through the article, that people don’t want to be assigned additional tasks or extra work, is one that I take exception to, based on my argument above. Finally, pay attention to the second to last paragraph. There is once again an assumption that people will not take control of a task given to them. I once again take exception, believing instead that if allowed, employees will take ownership of tasks, and that the fault in these situations generally lies at the feet of management for not completely letting go of tasks assigned to others. This article is a good example of The Power of Ownership gone wrong, with negative effects.